A Read Valentines
by glockcourage
Summary: Full title: A Read Valentines: An epilogue to A Write Spelled Christmas. Summary: This Valentine's Day, Temari would rather spy on Shikamaru than give him chocolates.


Summary: This Valentine's Day, Temari would rather spy on Shikamaru than give him chocolates. Sequel to _A Write Spelled Christmas_.

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. I'll give him chocolates if he does more than imply Shikatema.

A/N: Yay I love my titles!

And this story would make more sense if _A Write Spelled Christmas _is seen first. A clever way devised by the author to make you read *and maybe review* a fic that is out of season.

**A Read Valentines: An epilogue to A Write Spelled Christmas**

"So Temari, how many times have you given Shikamaru chocolates?" Ino teases Temari. They are seated side by side along one corner of the table, Temari with a chore while Ino just watches her since Temari has refused her offer of help claiming that she's a guest. Apparently Temari's still unused to her coming and going to the Nara apartment.

Temari just glances at Ino, giving her a _why-should-I-give-him-chocolates _kind of look and then finishes pealing the onions.

Ino stops giggling. "You mean you haven't?" Ino is actually shocked, not because Temari haven't given Shikamaru chocolates ever… "But I saw him wiping chocolate smudges around his lips a year ago!"

Temari stops on the act of chopping the onions, knife used halts mid air as if ready to be thrown. _"HE DARES TO EAT A CHOCOLATE NOT FROM ME?"_

Ino raises her two hands and with palms out waves it at Temari. "Calm down Temari!"

Temari resumes dicing the onions at a _very_ fast pace until it brings tears to her eyes. "Damn onions!"

Ino, because of her proximity to Temari and her onions, has her eyes hurting and leaking too.

"Why the hell are you crying?" Temari demands after noticing Ino quietly rubs her eyes.

"The onions," Ino explains, tilting her head backwards to stop the tears more effectively.

Temari narrows her eyes, her own tears ignored as she asks suspiciously, "Do you know something I don't?"

"You are crying yourself," Ino snaps then she realizes she's talking to an angry Temari so with a more pleasant tone, she continues, "No, I don't know anything. And no, the chocolates did not come from me."

"So the ass was actually considering someone else while wooing me back! _That bastard!_ That two timer shit faced jerk!" Temari yells then takes a breath to calm herself, wiping too her eyes with her forearms. She then speaks in a more modulated voice, "It's not Shiho since she's dating Kiba. Ino you are going to help me discover where that chocolate came from!"

Ino sighs. "Temari, look there could be another explanation other than what you think. I saw Shikamaru that Christmas, remember?"

"Ino, you know Shikamaru hates anything sweet. Why would he accept chocolate from someone other than to be agreeable and why would Shikamaru be agreeable if he doesn't consider that person as my replacement?" Temari looks like she believes her twisted reasoning and her frown deepens.

"Can't believe you get jealous this easy, Temari." Ino nervously laughs, trying to prod her friend to realize that she's over reacting.

"No, Ino I don't. I think the lazyass really considered someone else for a while. You know how lazy he could get. He probably almost gave up on me when Kankuro had his broken leg healed and I still went back to Suna with him." Temari is absorbed by her own thoughts. She has already doubted Shikamaru once before when she arrived from a mission and saw Shiho at their home last December. But that one was just a fluke. Temari is actually embarrassed by that accident and has never admitted to Shikamaru what she thought at the time. She shakes her head, her resolve to discover from who the chocolates came from is a bit shaken by what she remembered but still she's curious. "We are going to follow Shika tomorrow. The girl who gave him chocolate last year would still probably try again."

"I doubt that. The girl knows Shikamaru is married. Come on, who doesn't?" Ino argues. "You both made a splash when it was known that the sister of the Kazekage and a close friend of the Hokage were seen in some obscure village near Suna getting married. You two could have probably kept it a secret if Lee and Gai-sensei weren't in the same area for a mission. Honestly, Temari, of all the people who could have seen you, it should be them? Oh well, everything is a-okey so no worries, right!" Ino smiles reassuringly.

"_Gah_ Ino. I shall not rest not until I discover who gave Shikamaru the chocolates!" Temari bangs the table with her hands.

"Temari, Shikamaru loves you. He has proven it time and again," Ino reasons, exasperation edging her voice.

"I know that! But I'm sure Shikamaru gave up on me last Valentine's Day and accepted someone else's chocolate. And the girl is probably someone average who is willing to be this and that." Temari develops a vessel ticking on her forehead thinking about Shikamaru's dream girl. "You know if you're not gonna help me discover who it was, I could still do it myself," Temari huffs as she leans back on the chair and then crosses her arms on her chest, ignoring the smell of onion that now clings to her fingertips.

"Okay. I'm gonna come with you just to stop you make a spectacle of yourself." Ino heaves sigh, sounding defeated.

Temari suddenly grins. "Yeah, I know. I'm probably blowing things out of proportion but it beats making chocolate tomorrow."

Ino's eyes widen. She has a feeling she was just successfully manipulated into agreeing into something bothersome. Shikamaru is right, Temari is troublesome.

-o0o-

"Temari, I have been eating these damn chips for an hour now. At this rate I'm gonna end up as bloated as Choji," Ino whispers to the _'boy'_ sitting beside her.

"If you stop eating them, Shikamaru will notice something is amiss and knows for sure you are not Choji," the _'boy'_ murmurs back.

"And my husband will be looking for his chips. I have already eaten three of his packs." Ino glares at the bag of barbeque flavoured chips she's currently munching, seeming to blame it for everything that has been happening.

"I'll buy him ten packs more. Now, look like you enjoy it. Shikamaru's giving us the eye."

"Lucky for you, you just need to sit and act cool." Ino starts to pout then remembers her cover and just shoves a chip inside her mouth. "What will happen if Neji passes by and sees you?" Ino has a certain gleam in her eyes seeming to revel at the idea of that happening.

"He won't. I have it from Tenten that this Valentine's, they plan on going to some town that specializes at making Spandex. That's why I choose to be him," Temari proudly admits, her voice still low keyed considering that Shikamaru is lounging on the grass, staring at the sky a few meters away from where they are sitting.

"Temari, I doubt anyone will approach us. Shikamaru is married. I'm married to Choji. And you Neji, we all know you are already taken." Ino points at Temari, her good humour waning.

"Neji's still not married and you know he is really popular with the girls." Temari leans back on the trunk of the tree behind her, daring Ino to disagree.

"Couldn't you just ask Shikamaru from whom the chocolate came from and why'd he accepted it?" Ino expels a breath and puts down the chips. Choji usually pats his stomach but Ino doesn't do it to imitate him—she does it because she really now feels full.

"Nah. This is more fun." Temari's face breaks into a grin. Fortunately, Shikamaru has now closed his eyes and doesn't see the transformation on Neji's lips.

"Making chocolate is more fun for me." Ino pouts.

"I'll buy Choji lots. Now, shut up or you will blow our cover."

Suddenly a lone set of footsteps can be heard. Temari and Ino look at the approaching girl. She has long blond hair tied on one side of her face. She's wearing long sleeves pale pink kimono tied with a blue obi.

Temari draws a breath. She observes that the girl is possibly five years younger than her and instead of being average looking, she looks delicate and very beautiful.

The girl shyly drops her gaze when she noticed that both 'Neji' and 'Choji' are staring at her. The girl trains her eyes instead on the box, wrapped up in blue which is obviously a chocolate, she's carrying. Then she stops walking upon reaching the area where Shikamaru is napping. She gently kneels down and sits on her heels near the side of Shikamaru's head and raises one hand in front of Shikamaru's face and waves it, checking that he is really asleep.

Temari sees it, sits straight and seethes.

Even a genin would wake up if someone shoved their hand in front of him, but Shikamaru just continues his slumber. Temari would bet her life Shikamaru is awake and is pretending probably to discourage the girl and not hurt her feelings by rejecting her choco—_Wait!_ _What?_ Temari's eyes widen when the girl stands up still carrying her chocolate and approaches what she thinks are Neji and Choji.

"Hyuga-san, I hope you could keep this a secret and not tell Akimichi-san's wife that I gave him chocolates," the girl addresses what she assumes to be Neji and then turns toward who she believes to be Choji, saying softly, "Please Akimichi-san accept my chocolate."

Temari swivels her head and notices that Ino is actually stunned then angry.

Ino puffs to her real form there and then, shouting, "Why are you giving chocolates to _my husband_?"

The girl looks petrified. She uses the box of chocolate as a shield.

Shikamaru remains prone on the ground, further support to Temari's theory that he is just pretending sleep. Ino's voice has just risen. Anyone within the thousand meter radius would have probably heard her.

"A-anou, Akimichi-san helped me retrieve my-my cat but he won't accept any reward. I talked to his friend—" The girl's halting explanation is cut short by Temari.

Temari has now quietly transformed into her blond kunoichi look and interrogates, "You mean Shikamaru?"

"N-no. It was Kiba-san who told me, that Akimichi-san likes chocolates especially during Valentines. Kiba-san assured me that he is sure of this since Akimichi-san was asking chocolates from him last time," the girl admits.

"Why would Choji asks Kiba for chocolates when I already made him twenty large ones last year? Even for Choji that is considered enough," Ino wonders aloud, staggered by the amount of chocolates her husband seems capable of consuming.

"Unless he shared it with someone who is _too lazy_ to ask from someone else," Temari answers drily then follows it with a snort.

"A-anou gomen Akimichi-san. I-I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted to thank your husband. You are very lucky. He is very strong and kind and—" the girl tries to explain.

"Of course I know that. Give me your chocolate. I will give it to him," Ino replies, grabbing the box from the girl.

"Thank you." The girl nods her head and hurriedly leaves the two kunoichi.

"Are you really gonna give that to Choji?" Temari raises a brow in question.

"Sure. Why not? But he has to eat the chocolates I give him first."

"Meaning?"

"I'm gonna make him tons that he will not want to eat this stuff." Ino shakes the box of chocolate and grins. "I'll better get going, I have things to do."

"Yeah." Temari nods her head and before Ino becomes just a dot in the horizon, she turns and stomps towards her husband. She contemplates kicking him in the stomach to _'wake'_ him up. In the end, Temari decides to lie down herself and like many times before uses Shikamaru's chest as a pillow. Shikamaru's arm goes around her. She snuggles deeper and goes to sleep.

-o0o-

"So how did you know?" Temari demands lifting her head from Shikamaru's shoulder in order to better scrutinize him. She is currently lying on her side while Shikamaru on his back.

"Tch, know what?" Shikamaru sounds preoccupied; his fingers on Temari's back continue to caress.

"That it was us? Ino asked Choji to stay away from you today and not to tell you of our plans."

"Neji."

"Neji doesn't know of our plan either."

Shikamaru suddenly laughs then explains, "Neji doesn't come out during Valentine's day. Or better yet he goes into hiding and not on the hills where anyone could see him."

Temari just glowers then she lies her head down, this time not using Shikamaru's shoulder at all. She reclines on the grass placing a few centimetres of distance between her and Shikamaru.

To change the topic, Shikamaru moves to a sitting position, he crosses his legs underneath him and facing the still prone Temari he then demands calmly with his right hand outstretched, palm out towards his wife, "Where's my chocolate?"

"I didn't make any." Temari narrows her eyes, daring Shikamaru to complain while she pushes her upper body upward.

"Doesn't matter, I don't need it anyway." Shikamaru shrugs.

"_Need?_ Last time I checked you hate that stuff!" Temari snaps. She actually feels guilty for not making her husband chocolate ...and for suspecting again.

"Tch, I just read somewhere before that chocolate can cause the body to produce endorphins that could as a consequence make the one who ate it, feel happy," Shikamaru states sounding uninterested in the matter.

Temari stares at Shikamaru's nonchalant expression, gauging him, saying slowly, "So last year you _needed_ chocolates to make you happy, huh." Temari's smile suddenly breaks over her face.

"Yeah, lots of it." Shikamaru's own lips gradually lift up at the corners. "I don't anymore so Choji's chocolates are safe."

Still smiling, Temari shifts to sit sideways on Shikamaru's lap, her legs stretched out on one side. "Happy Valentine's, Shika," Temari whispers then bends down to tease his lips with her own.

Shikamaru's left hand moves to hold onto Temari's thighs and his right one pulls Temari closer towards him as he deepens their kiss.

After a while, Shikamaru murmurs, "Happy Valentine's, Temari," with a contented smile on his slightly abused lips.

The end

For now

~1/21/11~

~2/14/12AF~

A/N: And Shikamaru probably read something like this:

...consumption of chocolates triggers the release of endorphins, the body's endogenous opiates. Enhanced endorphin-release reduces the chocolate-eater's sensitivity to pain. Endorphins probably contribute to the warm inner glow induced in susceptible chocoholics. This sensation explains why chocolate gifts are a great way to bring joy to a loved one. From www dot chocolate dot org

Happy V-day! In my country it's the girl who receives flowers..._ahem_, I could settle for reviews instead.


End file.
